10 Movies ONLY MADE In Response To Film Critics

2. Sam Levinson Made A Drama About Directors & Film Critics - Malcolm & Marie

Recently released Netflix drama Malcolm & Marie stars John David Washington and Zendaya as a filmmaker and his girlfriend whose relationship implodes after coming home from the premiere of his latest movie.

It doesn't take long to catch wind that writer-director Sam Levinson - yes, son of Barry, mentioned prior in our list - has created the film as something of a riposte to critics who didn't care for his previous effort, Assassination Nation.

The film features a number of diatribes in which Washington's Malcolm tears down "elitist" critics who like to "flex their education" in their reviews, surmising that "cinema doesn't need to have a message. It needs to have a heart and electricity."

While the film is decidedly more self-aware than some critics are prepared to admit - Malcolm is clearly shown to be a pretentious windbag, for one - it is also evidently an angry screed against all the flak Levinson caught for his controversial prior film.

Though Assassination Nation did score broad critical approval, some found its social critique heavy-handed if not exploitative, and Malcolm & Marie is a rather transparent attempt by Levinson to effectively tear down those takes.

Fittingly, this film itself has received wildly mixed reviews from critics, some calling out Levinson for filtering his opinion through the distinctly different perspective of a Black filmmaker, while many nevertheless praised the performances of Washington and Zendaya.